Singapore: Force India driver Adrian Sutil has denied reports that he visited the Williams team headquarters recently, but said his current team's delay on announcing its 2012 drivers is making it difficult for him to plan his Formula One future.
Sutil is out of contract at the end of the season and is central to ongoing speculation about driver movements ahead of 2012.
Asked on Thursday at the Singapore Grand Prix about whether he visited Williams, Sutil said: "I didn't go there, I wasn't there."
Force India have said they will wait until long after the current season to announce their 2012 drivers, frustrating the German.
"They wait until December and they don't want to say who will be in the seat," Sutil said. "Its pretty late, its not easy, but maybe I have no other chance."
"I have to be fast, score some points and hopefully that's enough for them to say I deserve another year."
Sutil has twice as many points this season as his rookie teammate Paul di Resta, but the Scot's professional ties to Force India's engine supplier Mercedes mean he is considered likely to remain with the team.
The team's reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg - last year's pole position driver at the Brazilian Grand Prix when with Williams - is a possible option to replace Sutil.
Sutil carries significant personal sponsorship, principally from computer firm Medion - which was recently sold to Chinese firm Lenovo. Sutil said that sale does not affect the future of his sponsorship deal, but in any case he says he is not a "pay driver," relying on sponsorship more than talent to stay in the sport.
"It doesn't change anything regarding my sponsorship deal with them," Sutil said. "I have always had a good couple of sponsors who have been with me from the beginning."
"But I don't need sponsors to survive in Formula One."
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